What We’re Looking Forward To In The Arrowverse Crossover

Four shows. Heroes by the dozen. Two weddings – and a funeral. The producers of Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow have promised a crossover event that’s not just four television shows tied together, but a four-hour movie with high stakes and high emotion. There’s also controversy, in a story involving Nazis from another Earth.

What are you most looking forward to in this year’s crossover, Crisis on Earth-X?

Lariel: I’ve been reading tweets from some reviewers who got the screener of the first hour, and I am SO pleased to see them say the Legends are really stepping up and are major players in this crossover. I’ve intensely disliked the “Legends as the butt of the joke” approach used in S3, so I’m happy to hear Sara Lance will be as vital to the story as Oliver and Barry.

Lizzie: Considering the whole Nazi storyline has me apprehensive, at best, I’m gonna say I’m looking forward to the WestAllen wedding, and in general, just the reunions. It makes sense for Oliver and Felicity to be at Barry’s wedding, and these little moments of continuity are my favorite thing about the crossovers.

Sarah: Out of everything I’m just looking forward to these characters interacting, and getting to see each other across all the shows Arrow, Supergirl, Legends and the Flash. Coming together for Barry and Iris’s wedding was a perfect touch, because anyone who’s friends with these two wouldn’t miss it for the world and I’m glad that’s being reflected. In short give me all the little character moments that never fail to get me to crack a smile.

Lacey: I’m excited yet slightly disappointed at the same time. Last season, we just saw Kara crossover and this year, it was said that it would be bigger but still, we’re only seeing two Supergirl characters crossover (three if you count evil Winn). Where’s Martian Manhunter and why wouldn’t you want to include to Legion of Superheroes that we know are all hanging out on that ship right now. But at the end of the day, getting to see Kara, Oliver and Barry team up again is pretty exciting so I’m just going to focus on that 🙂

Kayla: Seeing Kara interact with Barry and Oliver more. Maybe they can give her some advice (especially Oliver) on how to deal with her shattered heart.

Jade: I SHOULD probably say something like “the awesome action scenes” but everybody would know that’s a lie. I’m looking forward to the Westallen Wedding and I’m NOT EVEN SORRY!

Lyra: Honestly, I’m looking forward to all my ladies looking fly as hell, kicking ass, and taking names. Maybe it’ll erase the fact that this is a crossover dealing with Nazi’s.

Lizzie: I want all the ladies – I want Kara and Felicity, Kara and Iris, Sara and Iris, Alex and Felicity – the Arrowverse has so many strong female characters that don’t get enough of a focus and that are sometimes reduced to mere love interests, and I often think I’d watch entire episodes revolving around just them, without the men.

The Flash — “Crisis on Earth-X, Part 3

Sarah: Definitely Sara and Captain Cold X because I’ll never give up my Captain Canary ship card, and Kara and Oliver since I’ve been secretly hoping they’ll get along a lot better than they did in last year’s crossover. In general though, I’m with Lizzie on hoping for more crossover lady friendship time because between Kara, Iris, Sara, Felicity, and Alex we’ve got epic potential for stories here.

Lacey: Kara and Oliver. I’m excited to see them interact even more than last time and I know it was something that Stephen Amell was excited for as well as he said during a recent panel. We’ve seen Barry and Kara and Barry and Oliver but it’ll be great to see the dynamic between the stoic Green Arrow and the bubbly Supergirl.

Kayla: Again, Kara and Oliver. I really would love to see what advice he gives her about how to deal with Mon-El returning and his heartbreaking revelation that shattered Kara’s heart.

Jade: I’m really looking forward to seeing interactions between characters (*cough* Iris, Alex *cough*) who haven’t really gotten to interact because they’ve been left out of other crossovers. Iris and Alex. Iris and Kara. Alex and Sara. And then ones that I just think will be adorable together. Cisco and Ray. J’onn and Diggle. Man, there are a lot!

Lyra: Looking forward to Sara and Alex interacting. Yes, I know that she just broke up with Maggie. But Alex is an able bodied woman of sound mind who can sleep with whoever she wants. If it happens to be the flirt machine known as Sara Lance then so be it. She’s got a right to sow her oats wherever she wants.

How do you hope the shows will improve on last year’s crossover?

Lariel: The fact that it’s a true four-way crossover is already an improvement. But the biggest flaw last year was the resolution to the Dominator crisis. It felt a little hand-wavey to me. Barry’s fast but he didn’t plant all those devices instantly… wouldn’t any of the first ones have removed them? And really? They went away after that? Supergirl did a much better job resolving the Daxamite problem (even if it meant exiling Mon-El), and I hope there’s a better resolution to closing off Earth-X.

Lizzie: Like Lariel said, the fact that this is a 4-way crossover is already an improvement, but what I really want is for them to find balance, and to not make it all about Oliver, AGAIN. I get Oliver is one of the main characters, but come on, it doesn’t have to be all about him. At least the part about the wedding SHOULD be about Barry and Iris, and as you move on, there is enough time so that every character has a moment to shine. They just need balance.

The Flash — Crisis on Earth-X, Part 3

Sarah: An “involving all four shows actual crossover” as opposed to last year as, Lariel and Lizzie said is already a step in the right direction. I’m hoping personally for a balance of screen time between action, character time, and point of view for everyone they brought into the crossover this year. I realize it may be easier to hone in on one person’s POV *cough Oliver cough* to focus the story, but you do a disservice to everyone else taking the easy way out. Action specifically please do not waste your CGI budget, and leave me with my eyes rolling. Otherwise BRING IT ON!

Lacey: One of my other hopes, besides more Supergirlcharacters, was more action scenes and based off all of the behind the scenes shots we’ve gotten and the trailer, they have definitely delivered on that!

Kayla: Just how they are going to integrate all the characters. I’ve been frustrated since the announcement that they didn’t use more Supergirl characters than they did. I get some can’t be used because of plot, but actually they could use them in different ways than they think. Like an Earth-X version of Mon-El trying to save Overgirl. I’d love that. It would have an impact on Kara too, with the situation she has been placed in back on Earth-38. I think it’s unfair that they use the whole casts of the other shows and not Supergirl. I mean J’onn J’onnz is a prime example of not using a character right. It would be very beneficial for Kara to have J’onn’s help. I get he runs the DEO, but they could leave Winn in charge temporarily, despite him saying he doesn’t want a leadership role.

The Flash — “Crisis on Earth-X, Part 3

Jade: I’m hoping that the action is steady throughout and not four hours leading to a two minute fight. They don’t all need a lot of expensive CGI. But you can’t have four shows leading to a final act that’s a letdown. I’m also hoping characters are better utilized this time (I’m still bitter Iris has been underutilized and that there was no Stein/Diggle conversation about their children last year.) And I hope the Supergirl episode is – as promised – integral to the plot this year. It was just tacked on last year (and its pertinent parts reiterated in The Flash), and when you already have characters who aren’t integrated into the rest of the crossover (like Alex last year), you should at least make the episode they’re in MATTER as part of the crossover.

Lyra: Here’s hoping the show manages to weave a story that doesn’t shift the focus too much on one single character. Yes, I know it all started with Oliver and yes I know Monday’s episode is Supergirl. But they’ve condensed things down to a two night crossover event. Balance is key if they want to sell this crossover.

The decision to use Nazis from another Earth has stirred controversy within the Arrowverse fandom, with some saying they won’t watch because of it. Do you think it was a poor story choice? Do you think people should avoid the show because of it?

Lariel: I’ve been a reader of alt-history sci-fi all my life, so the story doesn’t bother me particularly. I do understand triggers, though; I turned off the premiere of the Battlestar Galactica reboot because a baby was killed in the early minutes and I was still new enough in parenthood that I wanted nothing to do with a show that would do that. I respect someone who would avoid the crossover because they don’t want to be triggered.

All that said, I don’t like some of the protesting I’ve seen on social media. This in particular bothered me, a reaction to the inclusion of Hitler in one of the latest promos: “The survivors still live. They could see that accidentally.”

Folks, my late mother-in-law was a Jewish survivor of the Nazi era. She was never sent to a camp; her parents got her to safety in Switzerland. But her own mother, my husband’s grandmother, was killed in the French resistance. My MIL never had problems seeing Hitler’s picture. Like other survivors I have talked to over the years, she felt it was important that we remember and see the face of evil.

“Never forget” has been the rallying cry of Holocaust survivors for decades. Sometimes it feels to me like those who protest are encouraging us to actually forget.

And that’s how evil gets perpetuated.

Arrow — “Crisis on Earth-X, Part 2”

Lizzie: I’ve always enjoyed history, and WWII in particular has been a subject that has interested me and I’ve done a lot of research on. Maybe that’s why the biggest part of me feels like Nazis shouldn’t be used as a ploy in a superhero show, like the bad guys that can so easily be defeated by a very fast man or some arrows, because that romanticizes a period in history that was anything but simple. That’s not to say that Nazis can never be presented in media, like Lariel said, I often worry that we’re forgetting the atrocities to the point where being Nazi is now seen as something cool, and that’s not acceptable either. But – the way the crossover is framed, and the fact that the CW and these writers don’t exactly have a good track record at dealing with sensitive subjects, makes me more than apprehensive about this. And again, that’s a someone with no personal stake in this, I wasn’t affected personally, and I still feel like this. I can’t really comprehend what it’s like for people who do, and it’s more than understandable if those people want to take one step back, or fifty, and not just watch this episode but forget these shows exist altogether.

Sarah: As someone who’s studied WWII multiple times when I was in school, I can understand the fascination of them as a subject. In a story however, I only feel Nazis should be included when they are being set on fire by opening the Ten Commandments. Reiterating what “could” have happened in an alternate universe with Nazis is a story I don’t have any interest in, but I am going to give these writers a chance to see what they’ve chosen to do. Granted I don’t have a lot of faith, given that even people in the real world have a bad track record with being “okay” with Nazis even in 2017, but I’m hoping it’s reflected better in the TV world. If people choose not to watch, I do not blame them as at the end of the day it’s *their* choice, and frankly if people want to skip TV to watch food network versus Nazis showing up more power to them.

Lacey: I’d like to think the writers will handle this episode and situation in a manner that doesn’t praise Nazis or their sympathizers.It’s an extremely sensitive topic, as it should be and I completely respect everyone’s opinion. It will be interesting to see how this pans out.

Kayla: I respect people’s opinion to not watch. It’s a very controversial topic. I hope that they do it with grace. These writers are not known for that, so I’m a bit worried.

Jade: I absolutely respect anyone who makes the choice not to watch because of the subject matter. It is a terrible truth that we no longer live in a world where we can believe that Nazis are a terrible part of a past we have learned from and left behind us. I won’t say no show should ever use Nazis as part of a plot because I do think that, done well, shows can (and have) served as lessons on who we are and who we’ve been and who we can be. They can also – rather critically – remind us of a history we can never allow ourselves to relive. I am not sure that the CW is ever the network I would trust to handle that delicate and sensitive (and yet important) message with the care it needs. So I won’t unilaterally say it’s always a bad idea, but I have concerns. And I completely respect those who opt out, who often stand to be the most affected by this story. Particularly if not handled well.

Lyra: Nazi’s are the most overused bad guy in movies and shows. Yes, they were the worst of the worst that and yes, they did unspeakable things that still shape this day and age. But that does that mean that we have to use them over and over again in a way that takes something real and gives it a fictional twist as if it wasn’t real? I know the Holocaust happened and so do others. But some people see stuff like this and think that, “Hey, maybe it didn’t happen.” Crazy, right? But oh so real. So let’s take a step back from the Nazi plot. Let’s try to be a little original and not use one of the worst moments in human kind’s history to tell a crossover story with superheroes. We can do better.